


Outlast the Darkness

by WhiskersandQuiff



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Spooky Week (Phandom), outlast - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 14:48:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17123387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskersandQuiff/pseuds/WhiskersandQuiff
Summary: From the prompt:a hurt/comfort fic that takes place during spooky week from any year (i’ll leave the nature of the hurt up to you, as long as it doesn’t involve depression or something like assault or abuse)Phil was with family for a few days, leaving Dan alone at the flat. Of course, this was also right when they decided to film scary videos for Halloween, so the job fell to Dan. Everything was darker, quieter, and spookier without Phil, especially after Dan filmed Outlast, but he was determined to be brave, at least until Phil came back.





	Outlast the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vvelna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvelna/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! This fic is totally not Christmas themed at all lol but it's for my Secret Santa Fic Exchange. Thank you to m'pal [pasteldnp](https://pasteldnp.tumblr.com) for betaing, you were super helpful!  
> This fic takes place during Spooky Week 2014 and has a couple direct quotes from [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8DeO117qb0&t)

“That’s- that’s enough. That’s enough. That’s enough for today,” Dan stuttered through a nervous laugh. It was time to be done with Outlast before he had an actual heart attack. He took a deep breath, then reached over to turn on the light. 

He flicked the switch on the lamp but immediately squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. 

_When you open your eyes, there won’t be a face staring back at you. There’s nothing there._

He took another deep breath and opened his eyes, sighing with relief when the room was empty. He looked over to the door and saw that he left it partially open while filming, and he shuddered at the black emptiness of the hallway beyond it. 

_There’s nobody there, so you can go over and turn on the hall light and it’ll be fine. Go do that. You’ll feel better._

Dan stood up and walked to the door, opening it more to look outside the gaming room. 

“Quick check for axe murderers in my house,” he said in a sing-song voice. He exaggerated his calmness for the camera through jokes, but he really was shaken up by the game. Once he had established that no one was in the hallway, he flicked on the hall light and walked back over to his gaming chair. “No people wearing baseball bats in my hallway at the moment, great! ‘Cause I don’t have any lockers to hide in,” Dan said with a forced chuckle as he sat down. 

_Not that that helped me in the game. Or would help me in real life_ , he thought grimly. He ran a hand over his face. _Come on, then, pull it together for the last bit here_.

He stared down at the keyboard.

“That was extremely stressful and terrifying,” he laughed, “but I liked it. Whether I do it on this channel or in my own time, I think I’m definitely gonna continue playing this game.”

And it was true. He did enjoy playing the game and he had every intention of completing it. Although, maybe not when he was home alone. He wasn’t sure how he’d make it through the next two days without Phil there to keep his imagination under control. 

Whenever Dan played a scary game, Phil was there afterwards to calm him down. The adrenaline from the game would leave him exhausted but high-strung, flinching at shadows and unexpected noise. But then Phil would find him and talk to him about anything as a distraction, and slowly Dan would return to reality. He’d be able to confidently walk through their flat in the dark without fear of unknown entities attacking him. Phil’s grounding presence saved him from many long nights and panic attacks. Without him, Dan was in for a difficult few days.

He shook his head to clear it, then gave a big smile to the camera. He launched into the end card spiel, throwing in a joke about how, once he returned, Phil would be able to distract any murderers in their house while Dan escapes. 

Dan ended the video, then went through the process of shutting off the equipment and closing out of the computer. He used this as an opportunity to calm his mind, choosing to put all his brain power into pushing a few buttons so it wouldn’t think of terrifying scenarios with axe murderers. 

As he clicked the last button to log off the gaming computer, the microphone fell with a clatter.

Dan jumped in surprise, clutching at his chest and turning to look at the source of the noise. When he realized it was only the microphone, he laughed in relief and bent over to pick it up.

To the camera, he said, “That was my microphone falling off the desk, okay. I’m gonna stop, I’m gonna stop.”

He laughed again, then reached out to turn off the camera equipment. His hand was shaking like a leaf. He shook his head at himself and rolled his eyes. 

_You’re fine, Dan, it was only the microphone. Calm down_. 

Eventually, he finished putting away all of the camera equipment and shut down the computer. He turned to the door of the office and stood to leave the office.

_Time to go downstairs for dinner and then bed. Try not to think too much about the dark hallways you’ll have to pass through to get there. Don’t think about the faces that could jump out at you, or the murderers that could be lurking around corners, or the terrifying giants that could be ready to kill you at any moment. Don’t think about it._

“Oh, god,” he whispered to himself. He took a brave step forward, then another, and another, until he was in the hallway and staring down the stairs. 

While the stairs themselves already had a light on, the hallway at the base of the staircase was pitch black. Dan would have to walk down towards an empty abyss and nearly enter it blind before he could turn on the lights in that hallway.

He swallowed around the lump in his throat. 

“Okay, Dan, you can do it,” he told himself. “Back to the wall, come on.”

He rotated slightly so his back could press against the wall, then took a cautious step down one of the stairs. It was slow-going because of the awkward angle, but he made it to the light switch for the hallway and immediately flicked it on. Now assured that the hallway was safe, he checked behind him to make sure his back was okay.

“Oh, shit,” he muttered. He had left the light on in the office.

 _I am_ not _going back up there to fix that. That’d take too long and be too dark_. He turned back to the hallway. _Phil is gonna kill me for leaving all these lights on_. _Oh well._

Dan continued down the hallway slowly. Luckily, the door to the lounge was closed, so he didn’t have to worry about it. 

_Unless there’s someone lurking in there and waiting for me to go to bed so they can jump out and kill me in my sleep_ , his brain helpfully supplied. _And what about the staircase down to the bathroom, huh? That’s still totally dark right there. Someone could be there watching you right now._ He gulped but decided to ignore the stairs in favour of running the last few steps to the kitchen.

As soon as the light switch was in reach, he flipped it and dove into the now-bright kitchen, narrowly avoiding banging his head on the glass door.

He breathed a sigh of relief into the empty room. 

_See, Dan? You’re fine. There’s nobody here trying to kill you._

He walked over to the cupboards and opened a few, checking to see what his options for dinner were. 

_If you cook something, you’ll be out in the open for longer_ , his idiot brain whispered. A chill ran up his spine. _Maybe then, when you turn around, you’ll see someone through the glass door, waiting for you to come out so they can-_

“No, no, no, nopity nope, we are _not_ doing this right now, Dan,” he interrupted his own thoughts. “I’ll make some cereal and eat it in bed and everything will be _fine_. There are no murderers in the flat,” he said into the cupboard. 

He went around the kitchen, picking up a bowl, a spoon, milk, and the box of Crunchy Nut (still full, since he’d only gotten it that day and Phil hadn’t been around to steal it), all the while avoiding looking through the glass door.

Rationally, he knew nobody would be outside the door, but his brain had him feeling just paranoid enough that he knew he’d have to convince himself it’d be okay. For the moment, however, he ignored it so he could get his cereal. 

Once he had assembled his cereal, he replaced the milk and cereal box to their rightful spots and closed all the cupboard doors.

_Now you have to turn around and leave and go straight to your room. It’ll be easy, just turn around and go. There’s nobody there._

Even as he reassured himself, however, his brain rebelled. It conjured an image of a big burly man standing beyond the glass door, breathing heavily through a grimace and holding a baseball bat in his hand. In Dan’s mind, the man was staring straight at him menacingly, waiting for him to get closer. 

Dan felt panic creeping up on him, but he forced it down as best he could. He had to stay level-headed long enough to get to his room and then he’d be safe. But first, he had to turn around.

Just in case something _was_ there, Dan put his bowl of cereal down on the counter so he wouldn’t drop it. He gripped the spoon tighter in his hand as if it could be a life-saving weapon somehow, then forced himself to turn. 

Spinning quickly on his heel, he faced the glass kitchen door and saw- absolutely nothing.

He sighed in relief, though his shoulders were still tense. 

_See, Dan? There’s nothing there. You’re totally fine._

He picked up his cereal and made his way to the door. 

_Okay, you’re gonna run to your room and close the door. You’ll be fine._

With one last breath, Dan took off running down the hall, refusing to look behind him.

Right as he was about to enter his own bedroom, he changed course and dove through the door on the left, shutting it quickly behind him and pressing his back to it. He flicked on the light and relaxed when he saw that he was alone in the room. 

He wasn’t sure why he’d decided to go to Phil’s room. It wasn’t even technically Phil’s room- they shared Dan’s for sleeping and only used Phil’s as a set for filming.

Maybe it was the brighter colour scheme, which always reminded him of Phil; maybe it was the knickknacks littering the room; maybe it was that Phil went in there just often enough that his scent barely lingered in the sheets.

Whatever the case, Dan had chosen Phil’s room and there was no way in _hell_ he was going back into the empty hallway. 

He walked over to Phil’s bed, setting his cereal bowl down on the bedside table. He took his phone out of his pocket as he sat down on the bed. There was a message notification on his lock screen. 

**Message from Phil**

Dan felt his heart ache. He missed Phil, especially after his traumatizing filming experience. It hadn’t been that long since Phil left, but he couldn’t help it. Phil was his comfort, always there to distract his overactive imagination on nights like this. 

The text notification served as a reminder that Dan was alone to deal with his anxiety and paranoia, but it also made his lips twitch upward slightly. Phil was thinking of him.

Dan swiped open his phone to look at the message.

 **My Spork <3**: hey bear <3

Dan quickly typed out a response.

 **Me** : <3 hi

He bit his lip, trying to decide if he should send more. After a few seconds, he sent another text.

 **Me** : i miss u

Not long later, Phil responded again.

 **My Spork <3**: i miss u 2. how was filming?

Dan ran a hand through his hair, his eyes flicking to the door nervously.

 **Me** : ok. the electric bill might be higher than normal though, sorry

His stomach grumbled, so he set his phone on his knee and reached for his cereal. As he took his first bite, Phil’s reply came in.

 **My Spork <3**: :( r u ok? 

_No, I’m hiding from the imaginary murderers in your room while eating cereal._

Dan took a deep breath. _Don’t tell him that. It’ll worry him too much._

 **Me** : ill be fine. hows the north

Despite the hundreds of miles between them, Dan could feel the weight of Phil’s suspicious concern. He felt a twinge of guilt at making Phil worry anyway, but shrugged it off. Phil would be more worried if Dan told him the truth.

 **My Spork <3**: the north is good. my mum thinks she shouldve tried harder to get u to come with me

 _At least he’s letting it go_.

 **Me** : maybe next time, if we dont have spooky week to worry about

 **My Spork <3**: i wish i could be there with u for that. i know what ur like after scary games. u sure ur ok? we could skype if thatd help

Dan looked around the empty room as he debated whether or not they should Skype. On the one hand, it would definitely ease his anxiety about being alone, at least for a little while. On the other, Phil would see the state he was in and feel guilty about making Dan do Spooky Week alone, which Dan definitely didn’t want. Phil was with his family and he shouldn’t have to deal with Dan being ridiculous.

_But I really want to talk to Phil..._

**Me** : im ok, i promise

 **Me** : but we can skype anyway, if ur not busy

 **Me** : but we dont have to

Dan bit his lip after sending the texts in rapid succession. Phil would know there was something up for sure.

 **My Spork <3**: im always free to skype you

A wave of memories of 2009 washed over Dan as he remembered how true that statement was. It filled him with a warm sense of fondness and made his cheeks flush. 

He looked around him for his laptop, then remembered he was in Phil’s room.

_Oh, shit. It’s in the lounge. I’ll have to go back out in the hall._

He stared warily at the closed door, psyching himself up to leave.

_The sooner I get up, the sooner I can come back. Then you’ll be talking to Phil, and Phil will make everything better. Come on. Go get it._

Dan took a deep breath, then launched himself off the bed and wrenched open the bedroom door. He ran down the hall and past the terrifyingly dark staircase until he reached the door to the lounge.

 _You’ve made it this far_ , he thought as he panted, back against the wall. _Just dart in there and grab it._ In preparation, he turned on the torch on his phone. 

He took another deep breath and opened the door. The lounge was dark, but he ignored everything in the room except the couch, where he could see the dull reflection of his silver laptop resting on the armrest. He dove for it, made sure he had the charger, then fled the room, slamming the door behind him. 

_Okay, now get past the creepy-ass staircase and you’ll be fine_.

Finally, Dan was sitting on Phil’s bed with his laptop plugged in and open to Skype. Phil was already online, so Dan clicked the “Video Call” button.

Seconds later, Phil’s face came over the screen in grainy, laggy quality.

“Hey, Bear,” he said with a soft smile. He looked like he was sitting on his bed in his childhood bedroom.

Dan’s heart ached as he remembered how often he’d done this with Phil before they lived together. He wasn’t sure how they’d managed it back then. 

“Hi,” he replied. He reached over to Phil’s bedside table and grabbed the cereal he’d left there. The cereal was soggy now, but he ignored it. There was absolutely no way he’d be leaving Phil’s room now, so soggy cereal for dinner would have to do.

On Skype, Phil’s eyebrows crinkled. “Are you eating cereal in my room?”

Dan felt himself blush and was glad for the poor quality of the camera.

“Maybe,” he mumbled. It had only been a few seconds and yet Phil already noticed that everything wasn’t as fine as Dan tried to lead him to believe. 

Not that that was surprising; Dan’s texts had probably been a dead giveaway, anyway.

“Oh, Bear,” Phil whispered. He looked sad. “That game really freaked you out, didn’t it.” It wasn’t a question.

Dan looked into his cereal bowl and swirled the milk around with his spoon. He shrugged, but stayed silent. He waited for Phil to get upset with him for lying.

But Phil was much too good a boyfriend for that. Instead of calling Dan out on his lies, he changed the subject.

“I miss you,” he began. “Visiting relatives isn’t the same without you. I have no one to hide in the corner with.” His lips quirked up in a small smile. 

“I miss you, too,” Dan said. He finished off the cereal and put the empty bowl on the bedside table. “Have you been eating lots of sweets, at least? I’m sure your mum has been feeding you like crazy.”

“Oh, she definitely has. She’s already been making food for me to take home to you, too.”

Dan grinned. He loved Kath. She always made sure to think of him and include him, which he greatly appreciated. 

“Your mum is too nice. Tell her I’m excited to eat whatever’s left by the time you get home,” he gently teased Phil. 

“Oi, I’m not _that_ bad!” Phil argued, feigning indignation. Softer, he added, “There’ll be some left for you, I promise. It’ll be a good reward for living without me for a few days.”

Dan scoffed and shook his head. “As if your mum’s baking could replace you. My reward for being alone will be cuddles, a film, and shitty pizza.”

Phil chuckled. “Okay, that sounds good.”

They fell into a companionable silence for a few seconds, each imagining how nice it would be to be back in each other’s arms finally.

Dan broke the silence. “I really miss you. It’s too quiet and empty.”

Phil frowned. “I’m sorry, Bear.”

Dan shook his head. “It’s not your fault. I could’ve come with you, but I decided to stay home and play a scary game.” He trailed off for a moment, breaking eye contact and remembering the creepy face of the man with the bat. His finger subconsciously traced over the edges of the square mouse trackpad. He shuddered when he recalled the fear he’d felt. “I almost didn’t call you, actually. I knew you’d feel guilty, but I don’t want you to.”

Phil looked like he wanted to protest, but held himself back. “I’m going to give you some _amazing_ cuddles when I’m home, okay?”

A small smile made its way onto Dan’s face. “Okay. I’m holding you to that, you know.”

“I’d expect nothing less. Cuddles are important,” Phil said seriously. 

Dan let out a little giggle and it tapered off into a sigh. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Phil replied. Suddenly, he yawned. “I’m getting tired. I don’t want to hang up, though.”

Guilt shot through Dan as he realized how late it was, and he was quick to reassure Phil. “No, no, that’s okay. You need to sleep. I’ll be fine with all these lights on. I can be brave tonight.”

Phil smiled fondly. “I want to be there so you don’t have to be,” he whispered sadly. 

Dan’s heart melted. This whole conversation and situation reminded him so much of that first year, and clearly, Phil was thinking the same thing. He sighed, feeling somewhat nostalgic.

“For the most part, I don’t miss 2009,” he said, pondering. “I miss how carefree we were, that’s for sure, but this long-distance thing really sucks. How did we ever manage it?”

Phil shrugged through a yawn. “Endless Skype calls and nonstop texting? I’m pretty sure we drove our families insane along the way.”

Dan laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

They fell silent again, this time reminiscing about the past. 

Or, at least, Dan had been reminiscing. From Phil’s end of the call came a deep snore, snapping Dan out of his reverie. He focused back on his laptop screen and saw Phil with his head tilted so his chin rested on his chest, his eyes closed. Dan chuckled.

“Hey, Phil,” he called softly. “Phil, honey, you have to wake up.” 

Phil’s head jolted and his eyes open. “What? I was sleeping, though,” he whined as he regained his bearings.

“You’ll get a stiff neck if you stay like that, not to mention how your eyes will dry out if you don’t take your contacts out,” Dan chided. 

Phil blinked, seeming as though he hadn’t considered that. “Oh. Right. I’ll be right back.”

Before Dan could say anything else, Phil stood up and left the frame. Dan adjusted his laptop so it rested on the bed next to him, then got under the covers and laid down. He moved the laptop lid so Phil would still be able to see him.

A few minutes later, Phil returned, this time with glasses. He got into bed and copied Dan’s arrangement, laying down with the laptop next to him.

“Can you stay on the line?” Dan asked tentatively. “I’m going to try to sleep but it’ll be easier if I can kind of hear you.”

Phil nodded. “Of course.” He took off his glasses and put them on his bedside table, then made himself comfortable. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” Dan whispered back. He could feel sleep creeping up on him, and he was grateful that Phil would stay on Skype to keep his mind from imagining other things that might creep up on him. He watched as Phil’s eyes slipped closed, then let his own fall shut. Through the crappy laptop speakers, he could just barely make out the sound of Phil’s breathing, and then the sound of soft snores that grounded him in reality. He finally fell asleep feeling much more relaxed than he’d been all night, thanks to Phil.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next two days passed by in a blur of excessive lighting and loneliness. Dan kept most of the lights on all the time as if the light alone would be enough to fend off any murderers that may pop in for a visit, especially after editing Spooky Week videos. Playing through the games had been bad enough, but going back through them to pick out clips for the actual videos was much worse. He had to relive the fear from each video multiple times to make sure what he got was just right.

But Phil was _finally_ returning, and that meant cuddles and pizza and _safe_.

All day, Dan anticipated Phil’s return. He tidied the flat, piled blankets on the sofa, and set aside Phil’s favourite pyjamas for him to change into as soon as possible. Dan himself was wearing joggers and Phil’s York hoodie, which he normally only wore when sick as a reassuring comfort. He felt like he deserved it after his traumatizing few days alone.

Around 5pm, he heard the door open. He jumped up from where he’d been sitting idly on the sofa and ran down all the stairs.

“Phiw!” he yelled happily.

Phil looked up from where he’d been trying to manage his keys, coat, and suitcase in time for Dan to slam into him in a bear hug. He stumbled back a step, his back hitting the door as Dan buried his face in his neck.

He chuckled and put his arms around Dan, one hand going to cradle his head and the other wrapping around his waist. He pressed a soft kiss to Dan’s hair.

“Hi, Bear,” he whispered. 

Dan’s arms tightened around Phil. 

“I love you,” he said. He kissed Phil’s neck chastely, then settled himself in Phil’s arms with a content sigh.

“I love you, too.” 

Phil gently began to sway them side to side and pet Dan’s hair with one hand.

A few minutes later, he spoke up.

“As much as I love this, we should move it to the sofa. It’ll probably be more comfortable,” he mumbled, though he made no move to break the hug.

Dan sighed. “Yeah, and I have everything set up, too. Your pyjamas are on the bed for you.”

Neither of them moved.

“We have to let go if we want to move to the lounge,” Phil pointed out.

Dan groaned. “I know, but it’s hard. The lounge is so far away.” Despite his words, he finally lifted his head. He gave Phil a soft kiss, then stepped back and out of his arms entirely. “I’ll meet you in the lounge, okay?”

Phil nodded, then grabbed his suitcase and trudged up the stairs.

Not long later, they were curled up on the sofa, limbs tangling together. Buffy was on the TV, but they weren’t paying attention to it. Dan had his nose tucked into Phil’s chest and his hands clutched at Phil’s soft T-shirt. 

“You’ll scare off the murderers and monsters, right?” he mumbled, glancing up at Phil’s face. 

A small smile graced Phil’s lips, and he nodded. “Of course,” he whispered. 

Dan smiled lazily in response, blinking slowly. He yawned. “Then I think I’ll just take a little nap. You’re cosy.”

One of Phil’s hands came up from Dan’s hips and rested gently on his face. His thumb tenderly caressed Dan’s cheek, and Dan leaned into the touch with a hum. His eyes slipped closed and he snuggled farther into Phil’s chest with a sigh. Within minutes, he was asleep, feeling safer and calmer than he had in all the time Phil was gone.


End file.
